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Monday, January 24, 2011

2012 / Religion Maybe Jesus Wants a Good President First and a Good Christian Second?

Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 3:39 PM

Ben Smith at Politico digs up an interesting move by a Romney supporter to try to pick up Evangelical Christian support:

Mark DeMoss, a well-connected figure in the evangelical community and Mitt Romney supporter, sent a memo last week to Christian conservatives urging them to consider “a new litmus test” beyond traditional cultural issues

“A candidate for president of the United States should be capable of becoming president, and then competent to be the president,” DeMoss wrote in a five-page missive sent to about 200 top pastors, donors, intellectuals and leaders on the Christian right...“Those who would suggest I am placing values on the back burner will be misreading me and wrong,” he wrote. “I am only saying that a candidate’s values alone are not enough to get my vote. For example, my pastor shares my values, but I don’t want him to be my president. (By the way, ‘energizing a crowd’ is also not enough; Justin Bieber can do that—but I don’t want him to be president either.)”

(Note the dig at Palin.) After all the Romney-bashing Huckabee did in 2008, it'll be interesting to see if Evangelicals can hold their nose and vote for a—gasp!—Mormon in 2012.

Comments (5) RSS

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First thought: "where was this memo when GW Bush was running for president?"

Alas, I doubt it will work. I used this argument with my conservative Christian family members and 2000 and 2004 to absolutely no avail. Didn't matter, because it wasn't good policy positions and an acceptable value system that made Dubya qualified to be President, it was God. Dubya's devotion to God, and God's favor toward Dubya. And if that's all it takes, then that's all it takes.

If the evangelicals can't get Huckabee, many of them will stay home. At a time where evangelical culture is absolutely fixated on the End Times and the Rapture, there is no way they will vote for someone who isn't a True Believer, even if his value set is similar.

Posted by Hernandez

on January 24, 2011 at 3:56 PM

But Justin Bieber is Canadian. And under 35.

Posted by Subdued Excitement on January 24, 2011 at 4:19 PM

You know if Romney's elected all the Government contracts are going to Provo...so, uh-uh, we're not fooled.

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on January 24, 2011 at 5:49 PM

Mark DeMoss also represents the cwtches of Concerned Women for America and the fucktards of Focus on the Family.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?tit…

Posted by rob!